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Judiciary Committee hearing

Eagles had a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 16, 2010.[10] She was questioned by Senator Jeff Sessions on her whether she was inclined to adhere closely to federal criminal sentencing guidelines. She answered, "I’m used to working with guidelines. It gives framework for sentencing that is extremely helpful and useful, and I agree with my colleagues that I would definitely consult those in the first instance."[11] Senator Dianne Feinstein said to Eagles, "I have no doubt but that you’re going to be confirmed".[11] Eagles was reported by the Committee to the Senate on May 6, 2010.

Notable cases

Ultrasound law struck down as unconstitutional (2014)

On January 17, 2014, Judge Eagles struck down a North Carolina law which required that doctors administer a "narrated ultrasound" to women seeking abortions, regardless of whether the patient had any objections to such a procedure. The underlying case was spurred by the North Carolina legislature's 2011 passage of the Women's Right to Know Act, a law which contained a "speech-and-display provision" that physicians must adhere to. Eagles issued a preliminary injunction against the law's enactment in 2011 after it was constitutionally challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of North Carolina, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America on behalf of physicians and healthcare providers in the state. In her most recent decision, Eagles issued a permanent injunction against North Carolina's enactment of the law, citing various First Amendment and free speech violations. Eagles noted in her decision that "[t]he Supreme Court has never held that a state has the power to compel a healthcare provider to speak, in his or her own voice, the state's ideological message in favor of carrying a pregnancy to term," and that to force doctors to recite state-compelled speech "to women who take steps not to hear it and to women who will be harmed by receiving it” is considered unconstitutional. North Carolina government officials may appeal the ruling to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.[12][13][14]

Edwards alleged campaign violations (2012)

Judge Eagles presided over the trial of former presidential candidate and Senator John Edwards. He was accused of misusing funds from his 2008 presidential campaign to hide his mistress and child. A jury in North Carolina found Edwards not guilty on one charge of violating campaign finance law in May 2012. With the jury deadlocked on five other counts, Judge Eagles declared a mistrial and the U.S. Department of Justice eventually dropped its case against Edwards.[15][16]